{Project Simplify} The Laundry Room

This year for Lent I decided to put my New Year's Resolution of "One Step at a Time" into action, and clean and de-clutter one section of our apartment at a time.  My goal is to get rid of a minimum of one brown paper bag worth of trash or things to donate from each space.

Week One: Laundry Room

How I Did It:

First I set the timer for 60 minutes.  We had places to be, and I tend to linger while organizing.  And by linger I think I once packed a single moving box in the time my mom packed our entire kitchen.

Next, I took everything off the shelves and then into the other room.  

Then, I grouped like items.  A buddy system for my stuff, if you will.

Next I created "modules" - aka put everything that goes together in the same easy to grab area.  For example, all the ironing supplies go together, all the rags go together, etc.  This is a concept that is so logical, yet I fail to put it into practice in some very obvious places.  Thank you, The Joy of Less!

 

And then the best part: A place for everything and everything in it's place!

Finally: Throw out the trash and move the donations to a box near the door (total goal of one brown paper bag = achieved)

All with...

What I learned in the process:

• Setting the timer was brilliant. It kept me moving and helped me make decisions quickly, without getting all emotional
• Starting with the laundry room gave me the sense of accomplishment I know I'll need for the coming weeks.  Having an easy project was a great way to jump start this new lifestyle.  I applied Dave Ramsey to my clutter.  Get rid of the smallest one first!
• My eyes and brain have been trained to see things a lot cleaner than they are.  Crap has some how just become part of the landscape.  Now that my eyes have been opened, it's time to say good-bye.

Extra! Extra!:

• I had some unexpected time to clean some of my office workspace. Hooray for a clean desk! I've had two co-workers comment that it's motivated them to de-clutter too! (And boy could our office use it!)
• I talked to a friend about keeping clutter under control.  I told her we started taking pictures of memorabilia (you can look at a picture of old stuff and say, "awww remember this" without actually keeping the stuff! I know!).  And she told me she scans all her kids art/school work and has photo books printed with each year's art and school projects.  How awesome is that?

This week we're tackling "Kid's Stuff" and liking up with Simple Mom's Project Simplify. Join the fun!